Hand cleaner of rotary brush type

ABSTRACT

A hand-held cleaner of the rotary brush type comprising a rotary brush, pressing rollers, and driving wheels connected to the rotary brush. When cleaning is conducted with the brush type cleaner of the present invention, the cleaner is gripped by hand and the pressing rollers are moved across the surface causing the driving wheels to rotate. The driving wheels are coupled to the rotary brush such that the brush is rotated in the direction opposite to the rotation of the pressing rollers.

United States Patent Hayashi Aug. 26, 1975 [54] HAND CLEANER OF ROTARY BRUSH 260,257 6/1882 Travis 15/41 R TYPE 3,06l,857 ll/l962 Ganns 3,268,936 8/1966 Fukuba 15/42 X [76] Inventor: Jyoji Hayashi, 5-36-304, soshlgaya Lchome, setagayarku, Tokyo, FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Japan 1,191,160 5/1970 United Kingdom 15/41 R [22] Flled: May 1973 Primary Examiner-Edward L. Roberts [2]] App]. No.: 358,692 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Spensley, Horn, & Lubitz [30] Foreign Application Priority Data [57] ABSTRACT May 19 1972 Japan 47-49205 A handheld cleaner of the rotary brush type Compris' ing a rotary brush, pressing rollers, and driving wheels 52 US. (:1 '15/41 R connected to the rotary brush when Cleaning is 51 1111. C1.. A47L 11/33 ducted with the brush type cleaner 0f the Presem [58] Field of Search 15/41-48 49 c Ventioh, the Cleaner is gripped by hand and Press- 15/79 ing rollers are moved across the surface causing the driving wheels to rotate. The driving wheels are cou- 56] References Cited pled to the rotary brush such that the brush is rotated UNITED STATES PATENTS in the direction opposite to the rotation of the pressing rollers. 24,103 5/1859 Davis 15/48 254,410 2/1882 Travis 15 41 R 5 Clams, 5 Drawmg g PATENTEDAUBZSiQYS sum 1 OF 2 FIG.I

HAND CLEANER F ROTARY BRUSH TYPE This invention relates to a hand cleaner of the rotary brush type having a simple structure, which can be operated very effectively to exhibit a high cleaning efficiency.

There has been known in the art a hand cleaner of the rotary brush comprising a rotary brush and a driving wheel, each being projected through the lower face of the cleaner body, wherein by gripping the cleaner body by a hand and moving the driving wheel while pressing it directly against the surface to be cleaned, the rotation of the driving wheel is transferred to the rotaty brush.-

In the cleaner of this type, the width of the driving wheel is narrow and the driving wheel is provided on the'side of the cleaner body. Accordingly, it frequently happens that the driving wheel makes a slip and causes a racing and a sure rotation cannot be attained. Further, in case the driving wheel is not contacted with or pressed against the surface to be cleaned because converse or concave surfaces are present to be cleaned or because the width of the surface to be cleaned is narrow, the driving wheel is not rotated sufficiently.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide a novel hand cleaner of the rotary brush type which comprises pressing rollers mounted on the lower face of the cleaner body so that they can rotate a rotary brush through driving wheels as long as at least parts of the pressing rollers have a pressing contact with the surface to be cleaned, whereby the foregoing defects of the conventional hand cleaner of the rotary brush type can be overcome.

An embodiment of' this invention will now be described by reference to accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a hand cleaner embodied the invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the hand cleaner of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partially cut-out, sectional view along the axis of a rotary brush;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 55 of FIG. 2.

The cleaner body is made, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, as two separate parts and 11, the upper part or cover Ml being provided with hook-shaped flanges 12 which snap over and engage with grooves 13 on the lower part or housing 11 when the two parts are assembled together. The housing 11 has end walls 14 and 15 and a partition wall 16 which is positioned in parallel to one of the end walls (i.e., the right end wall 15 in FIG. 1) a small distance therefrom. The bottom wall 17 of the housing has an oblong opening 18 which extends between the end wall 14 and the partition wall 16. Protective edge 19 of a quaterly arc form extending upwardly into the interior of the cleaner body is formed on each side in the longitudinal direction of the opening 18 between the end wall 14 and the partition wall 16. Shafts 20 are rotatably mounted between the end walls 14 and 15 inside and below the respective protec tive edges 19.

Each of the shafts 20 serves as the axle of a pressing rollers 21 which rollers are made of rubber. The shaft 20 is also provided with a toothed wheel 22 which is disposed in between the partition wall 16 and the end wall 15. The outer diameter of the wheels 22, shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 are made slightly smaller than that of rubber rollers 21.

Referring now to FlG. 2, the shaft 23 of a radial rotary brush 24 is rotatably mounted between approximately central points of the end walls 14 and 15 and is provided at an end portion thereof with a toothed wheel 25 which is disposed between the partition wall 16 and the end wall 15. The brush shaft 23 is so arranged that the lower edge of the rotary brush 24 is positioned slightly below the lower edges of the pressing rollers 21 and in slight contact with the peripheral surfaces of the rubber rollers.

A free wheel 26 is journalled on a shaft 27 just above the toothed wheel 25 between the end wall 15 and partition wall 16. A continuous belt engages wheels 22, 25, and 26 such that a rotation of either of the wheels 22, as shown in FIG. 4, is transmitted to the wheel 25. The continuous belt 28 is disposed on the wheels 22, 25 and 26 such that a rotation of the wheels 22 in one direction produces a rotation of wheel 25 in the opposite direction. The belt 28 is provided at regular intervals with perforations 29 which engage with the teeth of the wheels 22 and 25 in order to prevent the belt from slipping.

A spring 30 is provided to give suitable tension to the continuous belt 28. Scraper pieces 31 are provided to extend from the corners of the bottom wall 17 on the side of the right end wall 15 straightly toward the vicinity of the crossing point of the inner face of the partition wall 16 and the opening 18. These scraper pieces may be of a soft rubber, plastic, cloth or brushes planted in lines.

In operation, the cleaner body is gripped by a hand and is rolled on the surface such as a table or a garment to be cleaned or brushed with the rubber pressing rollers 21 pressed on the surface. Because of the reciprocal movement of the cleaner body, and the contact of the rubber rollers 21 with the surface to be cleaned, the rotary brush 24 is rotated in a direction opposite to the rotation of the rubber rollers inasmuch as the brush 24 is disposed on wheel 25. Accordingly, dusts which are present on the table surface in the region in which the cleaner body is moving, are first pressed by the rubber rollers 21 and then flipped upwardly in the direction of the movement of the cleaner body by means of the rotary brush 24. Dust which is brushed into the cleaner body via the rotary brush 24 first strikes the protective edges 19 and then is deposited on the bottom 17 of the housing 1 1.

In the hand cleaner of this invention, pressing rollers 21 are provided on both sides of the radial rotary brush 24. Dust, which is pressed against the surface to be cleaned by means of rubber pressing rollers 21, adheres to the surface of the rollers. After the dust travels on the surface of the rollers, it comes into contact with the rotary brush 24. At this point the dust is brushed into the interior of the housing of the cleaner body because of the frictional contact between the pressing rollers 21 and the rotary brush 24. The dust is prevented from spilling out of the housing because it generally falls on the outer sides of the protective edges 19 and is deposited on the bottom 17 of the housing.

However, fine dust which cannot be easily collected by the rotary brush 24 are pressed by the pressing rollers 21 and adhere or fix onto the surface of the pressing rollers where said dust is scrapped or brushed off by the rotary brush and is forwarded into the interior of the housing 11. In order to increase the efficiency of fixing dust on the surface of the pressing rollers, it is desired to adjust appropriately the hardness and stickiness of the pressing rollers 21 or to select a material having an excellent electrifying property as the material of the pressing roller 21.

Further, since the pressing rollers 21 transfer any rtation to the rotary brush 24 as hereinbefore discussed, any time a pressing roller is in contact with a surface to be cleaned, the rotary brush 24 is being rotated. Moreover, the pressing rollers are disposed along almost the entire width of the cleaner body and thus if only a part of the pressing roller is in contact with any surface to be cleaned, the rotary brushes are being rotated and collecting dust.

Accordingly, it is possible with use of the hand cleaner of this invention to clean the convex surface or cylindrical surface having a width narrower than the width of the cleaner body, for instance, a garment being worn on a body, a seat or back of a chair and a round or angular surface.

Furthermore, since pressing rollers 21 are provided on both the sides of the radial brush 24, even when one of the rollers 21 floats off the surface to be cleaned and has no contact therewith, the cleaning can be accomplished conveniently without any troubles inasmuch as the radial brush 24 can be rotated so long as there is one pressing roller in contact with the surface to be cleaned.

in conventional cleaners of this type, rotary wheels corresponding to driving wheels 22 can be rotated while they are directly contacted with the surface to be cleaned. Accordingly, it sometimes happens that the rotation cannot be transferred with certainty because of slippage of the rotary wheels. In contrast, in this invention, since the driving wheels 22 are rotated by means of pressing rollers 21 having a broad width extending throughout almost the entire width of the cleaner body, no slippage is likely to occur. Therefore, accurate operation can be ensured only by providing a driving mechanism comprising wheels 22 and 25 and belt 28. As a result, the structure of the cleaner can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

The rotation of the rotary brush 24 by the rollers 21 may be accomplished by either a toothed wheel system in the presently preferred embodiment, or by a conventional friction means or a driven gear system such as is known in the art. Scraper pieces 31 are mounted to collect dust present on both sides of the driving wheels 22 and introduce said dust into the pressing rollers 21, whereby the effective cleaning range can be broadened.

I claim:

1. A hand-held belt driven, rotary brush cleaner for cleaning a wide variety of surfaces comprising:

a. a cleaner body;

b. a rotary brush mounted in said cleaner body, said rotary brush extending beyond the bottom surface of said cleaner body;

c. two pressing rollers mounted in said cleaner body, said pressing rollers extending beyond said bottom surface of said cleaner body, each said pressing roller having a frictional contact with said rotary brush;

d. driving wheels mounted in said cleaner body, said driving wheels connected to said pressing rollers and to said rotary brush by a belt such that rotation of said pressing rollers in one direction causes said rotary brush to rotate in the opposite direction;

e. protected edges disposed in said cleaner body over each said pressing roller, said protective edges substantially preventing material once inside the cleaner body from spilling out of said body.

2. The hand-held cleaner as defined in claim 1, wherein said rotary brush is disposed in said cleaner body between said two pressing rollers.

3. The hand-held cleaner as defined in claim 1, wherein said belt is perforated and engages said driving wheels.

4. The hand-held cleaner as defined in claim 1, wherein scraper means are mounted to said bottom surface of said cleaner body, said scraper means for directing dirt and dust towards the pressing rollers and said rotary brush when said cleaner is moved across a sur= face to be cleaned.

5. The hand-held cleaner as defined in claim 1,

wherein said driving wheels are toothed. 

1. A hand-held belt driven, rotary brush cleaner for cleaning a wide variety of surfaces comprising: a. a cleaner body; b. a rotary brush mounted in said cleaner body, said rotary brush extending beyond the bottom surface of said cleaner body; c. two pressing rollers mounted in said cleaner body, said pressing rollers extending beyond said bottom surface of said cleaner body, each said pressing roller having a frictional contact with said rotary brush; d. driving wheels mounted in said cleaner body, said driving wheels connected to said pressing rollers and to said rotary brush by a belt such that rotation of said pressing rollers in one direction causes said rotary brush to rotate in the opposite direction; e. protected edges disposed in said cleaner body over each said pressing roller, said protective edges substantially preventing material once inside the cleaner body from spilling out of said body.
 2. The hand-held cleaner as defined in claim 1, wherein said rotary brush is disposed in said cleaner body between said two pressing rollers.
 3. The hand-held cleaner as defined in claim 1, wherein said belt is perforated and engages said driving wheels.
 4. The hand-held cleaner as defined in claim 1, wherein scraper means are mounted to said bottom surface of said cleaner body, said scraper means for directing dirt and dust towards the pressing rollers and said rotary brush when said cleaner is moved across a surface to be cleaned.
 5. The hand-held cleaner as defined in cLaim 1, wherein said driving wheels are toothed. 